* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]

+

+

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

Never leave the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

It is possible to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. ABS is bad. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

Software

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. As far as I know Gimp can not do vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

RetinaEngrave (Windows)

Requirements

Supported formats/modes

How to install

How to use

Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

Quirks

It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 85% speed: [1]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [2]

Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.